• richardk@venuechurch.ca

FEBRUARY  –  PRAISE 

 

  1. Psalm 126:1-2     “When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, we were like 

those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them. The Lord has done great things for us, whereof we are glad.’ ” 

As we remember the captivity we were in to Satan and the world, we rejoice in the great deliverance God has given us through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus. Those past days are now like a bad dream. Now we dream the dreams that Jesus gives us. Let us sing for joy over the victory in our lives. Why not let go and shout once in a while over the freedom we have received as a gift. Let us give thanks for being able to walk in the light! Let our mouths be filled with laughter as we serve the King of Kings! 

 

  1. Hebrews 13:15   “Through Him therefore let us constantly and at all times offer up 

to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His Name.”  AMP 

Sometimes it is not so easy to praise God when the circumstances are difficult, the pain is severe, and the way to victory in not clear. This is when praise is a sacrifice. We offer praise because we trust God for the future. We truly believe in His Word that He cares and He will walk with us through all our troubles. Our confidence is not in our ability but in the faithfulness of our Redeemer. He is still the Great High Priest who will receive our New Covenant sacrifice of praise. He will reverse the impossible situations we find ourselves in when He is satisfied with the lessons in life we are learning.  

  1. Psalm 95:1-3  “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of

our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is the great God, and the great King above all gods.” 

There is hardly any point in shouting for nothing. But we do have something to cele-brate. We have a heavenly Father who has given us salvation from our sins and failures. He speaks to us and guides us every day of our lives. All we need to do to activate the life of God in us is to begin to give Him thanks for His goodness and how he blesses us daily. Then we thank Him for the positive attributes we see in those around us. This should create in us a heart of thanksgiving and gratefulness. As we become aware of His presence near us it will really give us a cause to shout for joy! 

 

  1. Psalm 146:1-2  “Praise the Lord!  Praise the Lord O my soul! While I live I will praise 

the Lord; I will sing praise to God while I have my being.” 

What gives the Lord pleasure? Revelation 4:11 (KJV) says we were created for giving  

Him pleasure. It was God’s desire to create a living being that would choose to praise Him. I woke up this morning and again realized that I am still alive. Therefore it is a great day, because I can still praise my God. Imagine the Creator of every universe and this world awaiting my rising up each day because I will be singing and praising Him again. Once I am dead I lose this privilege so I plan to make good use, Godly use, of the time I have remaining here on earth. I will not be like those who are spiritually dead, for they do not praise God either. They are wasting their time with many things that are only temporary. I am getting ready for eternity today by praising my God now! 

  1. Psalm 100:1-4    “On your feet now  –  applaud God! Bring a gift of laughter, sing 

yourselves into His presence. Know this: God is God, He is God. He made us; we didn’t make Him. We’re His people, His well-tended sheep. Enter with the password – ‘Thank You!’  Make yourselves at home, talking praise.”  MSG 

It is a good thing to listen to and respond to the exhortation of the Psalmist. He is saying “be alive and be active in your faith.” Do something practical! Do something Scriptural! Do something that will bear fruit for the day you are in! Get into the habit of beginning every day with giving thanks to God verbally and with the song He has put in your heart. Do a dance to bless Him, call it the “sheep-step” if you like. You are wonderfully made in God’s image and a well-tended, well fed sheep of His fold. Get that gratefulness stirred up in your heart, and bless the first person you meet today. 

 

  1. Psalm 101:1-2  “I will sing of Your mercy and justice; to You O Lord, I will sing 

praises. I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will you come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.” 

My praise should begin in my own home. It should be a personal thing between God and myself. He gives the invitation and I am responsible for the initiation of a life-giving way of life. Praise is beautiful, and God is waiting to hear it again from my lips. Wis-dom says “acknowledge God” in my own home. Then when I gather with other believ-ers my praise will be genuine and not just a performance for others. My family needs to see me offer my life to my Heavenly Father in the normal flow of our daily living. This is the kind of example that will stimulate each individual to praise God in every situation and circumstance, every dull day and every bright day. Praise the Lord! 

  1. Psalm 147:1  “Praise the Lord!  For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is 

pleasant, and praise is beautiful. The Lord builds up Jerusalem; He gathers together the outcasts of Israel,” 

Why is God gathering together outcasts? It is because He is longing to hear us praise Him and to come alongside others who have chosen to love Him in this manner. It is a beautiful thing to our Father, the Creator of all things, to hear our hearts sing praises. I suppose He could have asked us to display our abilities, our successful exploits, or our wisdom, but what He craves is praise from a faithful and loyal heart expressed through the human mouth. Today is another day that I am choosing to sing my song to the One I love because He declared “it is good and pleasant !” I am establishing a lifestyle that brings me peace, healing, and understanding of the wonderful ways of my Master! 

 

  1. 2 Chronicles 20:19, 22  “ The Levites stood to their feet to praise God, the God of              

Israel; they praised at the top of their lungs. As soon as they started shouting and praising, God set ambushes against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir as they were attacking Judah, and they all ended up dead.”  MSG 

Judah was in a very dangerous predicament. They were about to be destroyed and the fear of this ran through the nation like a plague. Fortunately a wise and humble leader knew how to make war on his enemies. He had the people seek God for di-rection. They humbled their hearts with fasting. They all silently waited on the Lord be-fore making a move. Then they received His word of encouragement and specific direction. They obeyed the prophetic voice with their whole heart in the face of the danger. What a victory for the Lord! What a difference the praises of the people made! 

  1. Isaiah 61:10a  “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God;

for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with  the robe of righteousness….”  

Some things in life make me smile. Then there are other experiences that move me to sing for joy. But when I think about what a powerful sacrifice Jesus made to free me from the prison of sin and clothe me with His salvation, I have to greatly rejoice. He has broken the yoke of wickedness off my life. He has lifted me out of the shame of unrighteous living, and given me the hope of eternal life spent with Himself. Jesus has become my strength and my Counselor. I am a new creation in Christ. He gives me faith to love and serve people, as I read and study the Bible. Jesus even speaks to me as I listen for His voice. I have a cause to celebrate and greatly rejoice! So I will do it! 

 

  1. Psalm 148:1-5 “Hallelujah! Praise God from heaven, praise Him from the mountain-

tops; praise Him all you angels, praise Him all you His warriors, praise Him, sun and moon, praise Him you morning stars; praise Him high heaven, praise Him, heavenly rain clouds; praise, O let them praise the Name of God…” 

I believe we have a very clear picture drawn for us in this passage from the Psalmist. It could be condensed into the phrase “praise God.” If inanimate objects can praise God, surely I can praise Him too. I will not be outdone by the rocks, trees, and clouds. I am saved by Jesus for this very purpose. He gives me health and strength for this purpose. He placed me in a spiritual family of praisers, and together we honor Him. I have the greatest cause to praise my Lord so I will be spending some of my time today just doing it. As long as there is breath in my body praise will flow from my mouth. 

  1. Psalm 139:14  “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made, marvel- 

ous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.” 

One of the keys to our praise is our perspective. When we are thinking largely of our-selves it becomes difficult to praise Another, as we are at the center of our thoughts. These are the times to allow the Holy Spirit to bring us up short with His conviction and revelation. Maybe this is how God touched David. “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made!!” Did he not get a glimpse into the level at which the Lord functions? Admiration and respect for Him naturally follow. The revelation we need is that we are not on the same level at all,  yet He loves us and takes care of us in spite of this. What commitment from our Lord! What mercy!! What a faithful Father!! How could we not be grateful and abundantly praise such a One as this? 

 

  1. Psalm 118:14-17  “The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my  

Salvation. The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the house of the righteous; the right hand of the Lord does valiantly, the right hand of the Lord is exalted. The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.” 

When I feel weak in myself the Lord becomes my strength. When I am unable to mus-ter any feeling to sing, God pours His grace upon me with a new song. When I come together with others in my spiritual family we have a concert of rejoicing and praise in the house of God. We begin to see the mighty arm of the Lord move on our behalf. Our hope rises up. We all receive heavenly encouragement. We realize we were born for this. God receives glory in our praising. We go and tell the world about Jesus! 

  1. Psalm 138:1-2  “I will praise You with my whole heart; before the gods I will sing    

praises to You.  I will worship toward your holy temple, and praise Your Name.” 

What does whole-hearted praise really look like, and just what will it accomplish? Well look at what happened in Acts 16:25. Paul and Silas had been beaten with many stripes with rods after having their clothes torn off. Then they were thrown in jail and chained in solitary confinement. In the darkest hour they began praising God with all the passion and love in their hearts. Can you hear the wicked prisoners jeering and laughing? Can you imagine the mocking and cursing at these religious fanatics? This all ended very abruptly when God responded with an earthquake and all the chains fell off the prisoners. The jailor had no doubt that he needed to get saved. This was true evangelism in action, and it all began with praising God whole-heartedly. I have to ask myself if I will praise God so passionately when the circumstances are contrary?? 

 

  1. Psalm 134:1-2  “ Behold, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who by night  

stand in the house of the Lord! Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord.  Bless the Lord who made heaven and earth, bless you from Zion!” 

The Bible gives us very specific direction on how to praise God. Everyone who is a servant of God is to participate. We need to stand in respect for the Lord as we are together with other servants in corporate worship. Then we are also to lift our hands to Him and use our mouths to bless His Name. Lifted hands could signify the uncovering of our hearts, or surrender of our soul. Speaking and singing is the way to release the content of our hearts to our Father in heaven, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The whole church is to bless our Creator. Let’s do it the Bible way! 

  1. Psalm 34:1-3 “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in  

my mouth. My soul shall make it’s boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His Name together.” 

I will teach my mouth to be a fountain of life. This begins by blessing the Lord, and if I can practice this constantly, day by day, I will develop the habit of blessing people also. A well only produces one kind of water, and in the same way my mouth should be producing words of blessing so others would hear and do the same. I will praise God and boast in His greatness. Those who are downcast will be lifted up if they have any humility at all. If I display a positive attitude and express my love for the Lord, the folks around me should soon be joining me. Those in my company should become aware that my joy comes from Jesus and I am blessed when I praise Him daily. 

 

  1. Psalm 135:1-4  “Hallelujah! Praise the Name of God, praise the works of God. All  

you priests on duty in God’s temple, serving in the sacred halls of our God, shout ‘Hallelujah!’ because God’s so good, sing anthems to His beautiful Name. Why? Because God chose Jacob, embraced Israel as a prize possession.” MSG 

I may not be chosen by men but God Himself has selected me as a prized possession, as a priest called to serve Him with praise and obedience. There really is something to shout and sing about. It is my calling. I can daily praise God for being my Father, my Savior, my Friend. He does great works in being my Healer, my Provider, my Strength. I can count on the Lord for His faithfulness and the reliability of His Word. Love from heaven flows into me constantly, my heart is encouraged, I have the hope of spending eternity with my Lord. That’s why I can shout “Hallelujah!” 

  1. Psalm 136:1  “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures  

forever!” 

This is a very powerful psalm.  A particular idea is repeated 26 times.  God is trying to  

get across a point to us. HE IS MERCIFUL!! He is not threatened by our sin and failures. He has a standing record of restoring people. Jesus was sent to demonstrate the will of the Father on earth and this manifest in being merciful to mankind. He healed the leper, fed the hungry, and forgave the sinner. What a Savior! Praise Him! His mercies are new every morning. Praise Him for that today! I receive that mercy. He has turned my former defeated life into a new life of victory. I have hope for my future. Praise God for His enduring mercy. He loves me with an everlasting love, because of the mercy in His heart. I will praise Him as long as I live. Thank you Father! 

 

  1. Psalm 71:7  “By You I have been upheld from my birth; You are He who took me  

out of my mother’s womb. My praise shall be continually of You.” 

If I’m alive my thoughts, my actions, and my life will praise something or someone. I choose to praise God my Maker. I can praise Him in everything I do. I will praise Him in every opportunity I have. I was created by a Heavenly Father for this very purpose. This is the calling on my life. What a high and holy calling, assigned by the Lord to give my life to glorify His Name. It matters not what others might think; I’m not living for their expectations of my life. May my life not only give praise to God, but may it inspire and encourage others to follow suit. Let the riches I have found in a life of praise become the riches others experience too! Let every day of this earthly life be my preparation for an eternity in which I will worship my true King forever! 

  1. Psalm 117:1-2  “Praise God, everybody!  Applaud God, all people!  His love has  

taken over our lives; God’s faithful ways are eternal.  Hallelujah!   MSG 

Here we go again; God wants us all involved!  Nobody is excluded! Everyone who has  

experienced the love of God is expected to praise Him. That is the very minimum we should do for the One who has redeemed us from eternal darkness. Then we can add our obedience to live every day according to His Word, to honor Him with the abilities He gifted us with, and to serve the people He has placed us with. And in everything we do, we can continue to praise our Lord. We can bless Him by doing all things with a grateful heart and thanksgiving flowing from our mouth. This is how people should see the Lord in my life. Those who don’t yet know the Savior need to read about Him in the book of my life. May I write it well and live it enthusiastically for His glory! 

 

  1. Psalm 113:1-3  “Hallelujah!  You who serve God, praise God!  Just to speak His  

Name is praise!  Just to remember God is a blessing  –  now and tomorrow and always. From east to west, from dawn to dusk, keep lifting all your praises to God!  MSG 

How can one say that he serves God and loves God if there is no forthcoming praise from his mouth? Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. When love is in the heart it will also come forth on the lips. If salvation has come to the heart there will be an expression of thanksgiving to God. As God does His transforming work in the heart of man a new creation is born and that newborn will cry out for nourishment. There will be a desire for the milk of the Word of God, and then a contented “thank you Father” for supply of this basic need. That is praise;  today, tomorrow, and always! 

  1. Psalm 100:4-5 “ Enter His gates with thanksgiving. And into His courts with praise.  

Be thankful to Him, and bless His Name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is ever-lasting, and His truth endures to all generations.” 

There is a proper approach to coming into the presence of the Lord. Once we arrive there our life begins to shape up and God can lead us into steps that will make us fruitful in Kingdom endeavors. Here’s the spirit – coming to Him with thanksgiving at all times. Here’s the action – being active and verbal in praise. Here’s the focus –  keeping God as the central figure in our minds and blessing Him in our activities. And finally – embracing the written promises as the Truth for us, for today. We have so much to praise God for and clear guidance from the Scriptures on how to receive the blessings intended for us. Let us abandon ourselves to loving and praising our Lord. 

 

  1. John 4:23-24  “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will  

worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 

God is actually seeking for people to worship Him, He is looking for a particular kind of worship from these people. It must come out of the heart that is true to God and not pretentious and full of self. Then it must also be led by the Holy Spirit (and likely use the supernatural language of heaven) rather than be confined to the limitations of the mind or our own intellect.  How God must long for His children to come to Him without reserve, so He can share the life and blessings He has reserved for those who wor-ship Him. Let us be active among those who constantly worship in Spirit and Truth, encouraging ourselves and others to be active in pleasing our Heavenly Father. 

  1. Isaiah 42:10   “Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise from the ends of the 

earth. You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you coastlands and you inhabitants of them!” 

This sounds like the creatures of the seas and the creatures of the land have been given a command to give a praise to the Creator who made them. It would be beyond imagination to think there would be any resistance or refusal to respond to such an opportunity. How then could we humans, who are created in the image of God pos-sibly withhold giving Him our praise. And since His mercies and kindnesses are forth-coming to us each and every day, we should have cause to sing a new song to him on a daily basis.  Therefore I will participate in the chorus of all creatures praising God and giving Him the glory He deserves as the Creator God who made all things. 

 

  1. Psalm 145:1-3  “I will extol You, my God, O King; and I will bless Your Name 

forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your Name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable.” 

This is a great passage wherein we make personal declarations. It’s an “I will” portion of Scripture that will build us up mightily in the spirit if we are serious and genuine in our speaking it. Why not get on board with the Psalmist and shout a bit. I can see King David dancing around the ark of the covenant as it is being brought back to Jerusalem, proclaiming such a word to all the citizens of the kingdom he ruled. How much more should we of the Heavenly Kingdom pronounce glorious praises of the King of Glory who has redeemed us for this very purpose.  

  1. Luke 2:13-14  “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly 

host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!’” 

The Lord announced the coming of the Redeemer to earth with a concert of praise. All of heaven praised God. None of these angels had experienced salvation from this Redeemer. Yet they praised. How could we then hold back our praise, or minimize or cool it in any way, when we are the recipients of the great grace that saved us from hell? Let us be active in waking up the sleepers who are coasting along in life without a thought for the Man who came to give us peace on earth. It is time to make some noise about what counts for eternity. It’s a good time to publicly express thanksgiving for what God has done. It is so right for men to praise God in the Highest! 

 

  1. Psalm 103:1-5  “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy 

Name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits; Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” 

When I consider the multiple ways I am blessed in the benefits offered to me through the covenant I have with my Savior, I am overwhelmed. He is exhorting us to not forget even one of the benefits, to embrace them all. Stir up my soul, oh Lord, and keep me mindful of the praise You deserve. Every day as we walk in covenant together, let me praise You from the depth of my soul! I am so blessed! 

  1. Psalm 149:2-4  “Let Israel rejoice in their maker; Let the children of Zion be joyful 

in their King. Let them praise His Name with the dance;  Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp. For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.” 

I am confident that God wants us to be free in our expressions of love for Himself. He does want us to be like children. If there is something to dance about, then dance! If there are opportunities to play instruments, use them. If there is an occasion to sing and shout our praise, then be free to express it. There is no point in being all stiff and formal when something exciting is happening in our relationship with God. Religion can so easily stifle our praise, but righteous activities should release us to become as free as uninhibited children before our Heavenly Father. Be free and praise Him! 

 

  1. Psalm 150  “Praise the Lord!  Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His 

mighty firmament! Praise him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with the stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!” 

Well, Psalm 50 sums it all up! Everyone praise God with everything, in every place, at all times. Everyone who has life and breath can give it back to the Creator in praise. Praise is full of God-Life! You sow life by praising and reap life by praising!! Let the Kingdom of God be blessed by our continual praising Him! 

  1. Proverbs 15:13  “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of 

the heart the spirit is broken.”  NKJV 

There are so many scriptures in the Bible that instruct, encourage, and command us to praise the Lord. Worship is to be a daily exercise and the way of life for all true Chris-tians. God knew from the beginning that the song of a reborn heart would give us the right attitude and power in our words to change the circumstances of our lives to keep us living in victory. Our spiritual songs are born of the Spirit of God and as we continue to sing and praise our Savior they affect our soul, and our body as well. When our soul is lifted it usually reflects in the countenance, which is often the first thing others notice about us when we come face to face. This is the initial testimony we have to people. But there is another benefit for ourselves. A cheerful heart brings healing and health to our bodies. It is like taking supernatural medicine that God has prescribed for our well-being. We can take a good dose whenever we like. Therefore, let us reflect the Lord to the world with a cheerful heart and a bright countenance. True praise can be easily seen!